MST3K 313 - Earth vs the Spider
The Short Synopsis Professor E.C. Buehler tells us how to be effective speakers. He has a nifty wire rack to display his points on, and places an emphasis on being heard, understood, and especially "pleasing". Information *This short was included on Shorts Vol 3, released by Rhino Entertainment on VHS in January 2001, and on DVD in August 2004 as an limited time exclusive bonus for ordering MST3K: The Essentials from a specially created Rhino site. The Movie Synopsis When a man doesn’t come home one night, his daughter and her boyfriend go out searching and encounter a giant spider in a cave near the man’s wrecked car. Coming back with the sheriff, the spider is seemingly killed by DDT spraying, and its body is then hauled for storage in the high school gymnasium. However, a loud dose of rock music by a teenage garage band revives the arachnid and sends it rampaging through the town. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051570/plotsummary Meanwhile, the girl and her boyfriend have gone back to the cave to look for a bracelet that she dropped (the birthday present from her father). The oversized arachnid then returns to its lair and the sheriff dynamites the cave entrance, unwittingly trapping the two teens inside with the spider. Rescuers open a small hole above the cave and send down a device that the teens use to electrocute the spider. Information Parts of the movie were filmed on location at Carlsbad Caverns. Parts of the movie were also filmed on a sound stage with matte effects to make it look like Carlsbad Caverns using a variety of scenic shots (of a quality on par with postcards sold in the gift shop at Carlsbad). Laszlo Gorog also wrote ''The Mole People''. The Episode Host Segments Prologue: It's "Inside the Robot Mind" with host Crow T. Robot and special guest Tom Servo! They don't get past the introduction. Segment One (Invention Exchange): TV's Frank steals the cheese phone from Joel. Joel presents the CD Blow Dryer to replace the In-Salon 8-Track and the Portable Dryer Cassette models. Segment Two: Crow writes a screenplay, Earth vs. Soup. Joel and Servo are not impressed. This doesn't discourage Crow in the least. Segment Three: The hot new rock group, Spidorr, is interrupted by a visit from the cranky Custodian of the 7th Galaxy. Segment Four: Joel and the Bots lament the loss of cool, yet dangerous toys of the past, like Creepy Crawlers and Lawn Darts. Segment Five: Tom and Crow write reports. Tom's report focuses on Bert I. Gordon's common themes. Crow's isn't finished yet. Frank has repercussions from consuming the entire cheese phone. Stinger: A poor speaker from the short rambles on. Other Notes Guest Stars *''Custodian of the 7th Galaxy'': Michael J. Nelson Miscellanea *When Joel berates the Mads for idea theft and reaching "a new high in stupidity and evil", Dr. Forrester and Frank respond by saying "Thank you!" in the same manner Dr. F and Dr. Erhardt would reply during Season 1 whenever Joel commented on their evilness. The Mads then stare at each other uncomfortably. This wouldn't be the only callback to Larry this episode, either (see below). *The Custodian's ship appears to be a model of a high school (complete with flagpole) with the front end and nacelle wings of an AMT/Ertl Klingon D-7 class battlecruiser model. *The Custodian makes reference to a "pep rally on Tralfamadore". Tralfamadore is a fictional distant planet that is featured or referred to in several novels by the author Kurt Vonnegut. It is home to an advanced alien race. *Creepy Crawlers toys actually made a comeback for a few years in the early 90's. In addition to the toys, there was a Saturday morning cartoon based on them. Obscure References *''"It's called Herbalife!"'' Herbalife is a brand of personal health products sold via multi-level marketing. *''"Dr. Erhardt! So that's what happened to him!"'' This is a reference to the unexplained disappearance of the MST3K character Dr. Laurence Erhardt. The actor being attacked by the spider in the movie looks a bit like him. *“Hey Joe!” – Mike Simpson “Where you goin’ with that gun in your hand?” –Tom Servo Refers to the song Hey Joe by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. *''Custodian of the Seventh Galaxy''. A likely reference to the seminal 70's jazz-fusion album "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" by Chick Corea and Return to Forever. *''Mike Simpson: "My dad just got in a new picture, and I haven't seen it yet. Something about puppet people. It sounds pretty wild."'' *''Joel: "Oh, shame on you, Bert I. Gordon."'' Attack of the Puppet People is another one of Bert I. Gordon's films. It became available as a Rifftrax presentation in 2014. Several posters for other Bert I. Gordon films, such as The Amazing Colossal Man, are also visible throughout this scene. Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Episodes with shorts Category:Unreleased Episodes Category:Mystery Science Theater Hour Episodes Category:Unrated movies